A new facade on Woodland's Main Street may bring new tenants

What was the "eyesore" of Main Street for many years is now garnering attention from several potential suitors.

Having gone from ugly duckling to swan, thanks to an exterior facade makeover by local architect Duane Thomson, 514 Main St. is seeing a "number of parties" expressing interest in leasing the space, but "nothing has been finalized," according to Thomson on behalf of building owners David and Vivian Matsuo.

The owners wish to bring strong tenants who will act as catalysts for the rejuvenation of the historic downtown area, Thomson relayed.

"We've done our best to restore the historical appearance of the facade, including the second story window line and the (English reeded glass)," Matsuo wrote in an email. "At the same time, we've done (some) earthquake retrofitting for the tenants and the safety of their customers. We wish to thank the city of Woodland, especially the Redevelopment Agency and its successor agency for the success of this project."

The 514 Main St. property - located on the south side of Main Street's 500 block, sandwiched between Lulu's Luxe Hair Lounge and what once housed Irongate Motorcycles - is the last in Woodland to benefit from a facade renovation grant through the now-defunct Redevelopment Agency. Matsuo matched the grant by at least half.

Two of the building's original 11-feet half-round windows have been replaced, reclaiming some of the building's old charm, according to Thomson. There used to be four windows, until they were removed in the mid-1960s and replaced with a stucco wall.

"If you look at that building, it's changed the whole face," said Woodland Mayor Skip Davies at a recent City Council meeting. "It was the ugliest building on Main Street. Now it's probably the best. I want to thank everybody from the city that participated in that. That was done locally."

In addition to architect Thomson, Woodland's Shellhammer Construction was the project's contractor and Kraig Fisher completed the painting. "We don't know what's going in there but the outside looks great," said Davies.

One of the biggest surprises was discovering the English-reeded glass during the building's demolition, Thomson explained.

"We were able to save it and re-use it. It's a remarkable architecture feature," Thomson said, as the glass pattern can no longer be found in the U.S. English-reeded glass is unique in that the one-inch horizontal striations make it look like ribbons.

"We were very excited to be able to reestablish this feature of the building," said the architect.

Upon close inspection, passers-by will notice "Diggs Building 1890" plaqued on the outside. The developer of the original structure was Marshall Diggs, who owned a hardware store at 514-516 Main St., according to the city of Woodland's walking tour guide "Explore Historic Woodland."

Diggs added the second story of the building - including the signature windows - in 1890.

The businessman moved to Sacramento in the late 1890s and became president of Thompson-Diggs Hardware Company, according to the walking guide. He was elected state senator in 1902 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1906.

The building was also home to Foy's Toys in the mid-1900s as well as Muscle World, which closed more than two decades ago.